Mail-bag catcher and deliverer



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. P. HAUSS.

MAIL BAG UATGHER AND DELIVERER. v

No. 431,461. Patented July 1,1890.

WITNESSES.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. P. HAUSS.

MAIL BAG GATOHER AND DBLIVERBR. No. 431,461. Patented July 1, 1890.

- W12 WESSES (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. A. P, HAUSS. MAIL BAG GATOHER AND DELIVERER.

Patented July 1 W1] JVESSES i UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS P. HAUSS, OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 431,461, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed January 28, 1820. Serial No. 338 ,359. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS P. HAUSS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of NewAlbany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in means or devices for automatically and simultaneously receiving and delivering mailpouches from swiftly-running railway-trains.

The object of the invention is to provide devices for the above purposes which shall be simple and economical in construction and durable and effective in use, the arrangement and combination of the parts composing the the same being such that there is no liability or danger of the device not properly performing its intended work.

The present invention is designed more particularly as an improvement upon the invention described and claimed in Letters Patent granted to me August 27, 1889, No. 410,095, which relates to the means or devices for holding, delivering, and receivingamail-pouch on the stationary crane located by the side of the track, while the present invention relates to the devices attached to the car.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and definitely pointed out in the claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail-pouch catcher and deliverer constructed according to my invention, detached from the car. Fig. 2 is asimilar View of a modification thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the bracket and weighted clamp for holding the lower'end of the mailpouch. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a car with my invention applied thereto,with a mailpouch in position to be delivered, said figure also showing the crane with a pouch suspended therefrom, to be caught by the catcher and received into the car. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the car as having passed the crane and received and delivered its respective pouches. v Fig. 6 is aplan view of the doublearmed receiver attached to the crane.

In. the said drawings, the reference-numeral 1 designates the crane, which is of any suitable construction, having the hinged arms 2 and 3.

4 design ates the catcher,consisting of a plate 5, secured to the hinged arm 3, and is provided on opposite sides thereof with sockets 6, through which passes one of the arms 7 of the double-ar1ncd catcher, the forks or arms being so arranged as to catch the pouch from the car.

The catcher attached to the car consists of a horizontal bar 8, secured to the car by means of brackets 9 on each side of the doorin such manner that it can be removedand replaced in a reverse position at the end of the trip.

10 designates the lever for operating said bar so as to bring the catcher into line with the pouch on the crane. This lever is provided with a socket, through which the-bar passes, and also has a supplemental socket 12 to receive the bent end of the arm 13, which grabs and withdraws the pouch from the crane.

14 designates the arm from which is suspended the pouch to be delivered from the car by means of the rings or loops 15 at the upper end of the pouch. This arm 14 ismade somewhat in the form of a half S,'as shown in Fig. 1, having a hub 16 at one end, through which passes the bar 8, beingconfined thereon by means of set-screw 17. The other or outer end 14 of this arm, when in position to deliver a pouch, will be parallel with the sides of the car, and may be provided with a collar 19 to limit the movement of the pouch thereon.

Near the lower ends of the door-jamb, at each side thereof, are secured the brackets 20, in which is supported the weighted clamp which holds and secures the lower end of a pouch suspended from arm 14. This plate or bracket is curved to correspond with the curvature or rounded jamb of the door, and is secured thereto by screws, rivets, nails, or otherwise. It is provided with two outwardly-extending lugs 21, forming a way 22 to receive the end 23 of .the clamp-bar 24, which is pivoted therein by the removable pivot-pin 25. The free end of bar 24 is bent to form a finger 26, and near said end -is provided with lugs 26,-between which is The arm 14 is provided with a beveled re-- cess 30, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) in which rests the curve 31 of arm 13, so that as the latter is raised or lowered by the lever arm 14 will be correspondingly moved. Instead of making arms 13 and 14 separate, they may be made integral, as shown in the modification, Fig. 2.

The operation of the device is as follows: The pouch to be delivered to the car is attached to the hinged arms of the crane. The bag or pouch to be delivered from the car is suspended from the arm 14 by passing the end thereof through the rings or loops 15 of the pouch. The ring 32 on the lower end of the pouch is grasped between the fingers of the clamping-bars and is held securely thereby by means of the weight 29. As the car reaches the crane the arm 13 detaches the pouch therefrom and holds it in its crotch until released by the postal clerk. At the same time the arm on the crane seizes the bag suspended from arm 14 and removes it therefrom, the weight 29 being so proportioned as to allow the ring on the pouch to be readily withdrawn from the fingers of the clamping-bars. At the end of the trip the clamping-bar is removed from its bracket by withdrawingthe pivot-pin and is placed in the bracket on the opposite side of the door. The catching device is also reversed. In this manner the cranes need be on one side of the track only.

The device is simple and economical in construction and will be found to be durable in use and efficient and reliable in operation,

and as the bag on the car will be suspended at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the car it will always be caught and disengaged by the arm on the crane.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a mail-pouch-handling device consisting of a horizontal bar providedwith an actuating-lever, the arm 13,'connected with said lever, and the arm 14, secured to said bar and provided with a beveled recess 30, in which curve 31 of arm 13 rests, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the brackets 20, located on each side of the car-door, of the removable and reversible clamp consisting of the arms 24 and 27, pivoted together and provided with fingers 26 and 28, and arm 27, having weight 29, substantially as described.

3. The device comprising the horizontal bar 8, lever 10, arm 14, the clamp consisting of the pivoted bars 24 and 27, having fingers 26 and 28 and the weight 29, and the brackets 20, located on each side of the cardoor, substantially as described.

4. A mail-pouch-handling device comprisin g the horizontal bar 8, lever 10, and arms 13 and 14, and the clamp consisting of the pivoted bars 24 and 27, having fingers 26 and 28 and the weight 29, and the brackets 20, located on each side of the car-door, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS P. HAUSS.

Witnesses:

EPHRAIM NV. FAUOETT, NOBLE D. MORRIS. 

